Month: April 2017

MOURNING Christian!

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“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”—2 Corinthians 5:21. MOURNING Christian! why weepest thou? Art thou mourning over thine own corruptions? Look to thy perfect Lord, and remember, thou art complete in Him; thou art in God’s sight as perfect as if thou hadst never sinned; nay, more than that, the Lord our Righteousness hath put a divine garment upon thee, so that thou hast more than the righteousness of man—thou hast the righteousness of God. O Thou who art mourning by …

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What If There Is No Resurrection?

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The resurrection holds the key to hope; it promises forgiveness, relationship with God, and eternity in heaven 1 Corinthians 15:12 – 15:19 12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: 14 And if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is] also vain. 15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up …

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Let’s Move On

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Exodus 2:11-14 11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. 13 And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? 14 And …

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God’s Grace –Jerusalem’s Unfaithfulness Part I The Rejected Orphan Marries The King

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In the sixteenth chapter of the book of Ezekiel God gives Ezekiel a parable to share with both the Jews in Babylon, and those who will be coming from Jerusalem after Nebuchadnezzar invades them for the final time in 586 B.C.. This is a very long message of sixty-three verses, and the central theme can be divided into are six sections: The rejected orphan who marries the king (Ezekiel 16:1-14). The queen who became a harlot (Ezekiel 16:15-34). The harlot who becomes a convict (Ezekiel 16:35-43). The convict who became a “proverb” (Ezekiel 16:44-52). The convict and her sisters repent (Ezekiel 16:53-58). …

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“The difference between tears and laughter is found in being aware of the presence of God.

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“The difference between tears and laughter is found in being aware of the presence of God. Even when I lost my footing, God never stumbled. Not a single tear slipped by his sight. Not a single groan escaped his ear. I laughed for joy because in the moments when I felt most vulnerable and lost and alone and angry, God didn’t shy away. In the life storms that caught me unaware, God remained all knowing. In that which took my breath away, God whispered, ‘Keep breathing.’ In the holy hush of his presence, God met me. And God will meet …

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RETURN TO THE LORD

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  ZECHARIAH 1:3 ________________________________________________________________ “Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.’ “ The announcement “…says the LORD” is given multiple times in this little verse. This short phrase must be of great importance to the Lord, which in turn should make it doubly important to us. The call to return to the Lord is given to the one who has wandered away. How unlike me is the Lord! When someone does not desire my company, I will leave …

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Deus ex Machina

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Pete Garcia Here in the spring of 2017, we often have difficulty reconciling the prophetic pages of Holy Scripture with the reality of what we see daily in the news. We wonder what exactly that final world government, final world religion, and final world leader will look like. Much speculation has been put forth recommending this person or that religion, with supposed proof texts both from secular and scriptural sources, but the truth is, we will not know until it happens. But two instances will absolutely force an immediate change in the world. The first is the Rapture of the …

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Six Reasons why the Church and Israel are Distinct by Arnold Fruchtenbaum.

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Arnold Fruchtenbaum has listed about six reasons supporting the argument that the church is a distinct work in God’s household from His people Israel: 1) “The first evidence is the fact that the church was born at Pentecost, whereas Israel had existed for many centuries” (116). This is supported by “the use of the future tense in Matthew 16:18 shows that it did not exist in gospel history” (116). Since the church born at Pentecost is called the “Body of Christ” (Col. 1:18), and entrance into the body is through “Spirit baptism” (1 Cor. 12:13), in which Jew and Gentile …

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Seek God Early

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Good Morning! When we spend time with the Lord in the morning, He fills and prepares our heart for the day ahead Psalms 63:1 – 63:8 1 (A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.) O God, thou [art] my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so [as] I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness [is] better than life, my lips shall praise thee. …

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Love vs. The Wrath of God

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Reflections For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. (Rom. 1:18) The Bible speaks of the wrath of God, but it also reveals that God is love. (I Jn. 4:8) But if God IS love, then that means that love is His nature, not just His action. Thus, we must reconcile the fact that God IS love to the fact that there is a wrath of God. The wrath of God IS His love — the only possible expression of it — towards those who refuse …

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THE LAMB OF GOD

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John 1:29-36 29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but …

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“They took Jesus, and led him away.” John 19:16

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He had been all night in agony, he had spent the early morning at the hall of Caiaphas, he had been hurried from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate; he had, therefore, but little strength left, and yet neither refreshment nor rest were permitted him. They were eager for his blood, and therefore led him out to die, loaded with the cross. O dolorous procession! Well may Salem’s daughters weep. My soul, do thou weep also. What learn we here as we see our blessed Lord led forth? Do we not perceive …

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Left To Our Own Devices

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By Grant Phillips One of the most frightening thoughts that comes to mind, is the thought of God turning us over to our own devices. You might say, He washes His hands of us and walks away. I’ll never forget what one of our coaches said to us in high school. It went something like (leaving out the expletives), “When I’m on your case, I see potential in you. When I’m not on your case, I’ve washed my hands of you.” That has always stayed with me, and I found it to be true later in life when I did …

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